The Gynecological Exam Is Finally Getting a Makeover
Turns out there’s a better way to assess women’s reproductive health than an annual exam with a cold speculum
The gynecological examination — compromising position, cold speculum, occasional cringey swab — has been an integral and infamous part of women’s health care in some form since around the 19th century. Traditionally performed in healthy women as a screening tool for several conditions, like gynecologic cancer, infections, and pelvic inflammatory disease — the gynecological exam is undergoing an overhaul, based on new data on its effectiveness and women’s comfort.
The annual rite was finally questioned in 2012, when new guidelines from the American Cancer Society and other health associations suggested that a part of the exam called the Pap smear — a test for cervical cancer screening — should no longer be annual, but done in intervals of three to five years. That move sparked debate over another part of the exam: If a woman is not due for her Pap test, and not experiencing any symptoms of gynecological disease, should she still be subjected to a yearly pelvic exam?
The age-old routine
During a pelvic exam, a woman lies on her back on an examination table while wearing nothing but a…
